Human Settlements

(Class 12 Geography – CBSE, 2025–26)

1. Introduction

• A settlement is a place where people live, organize their lives, and carry out social, economic, cultural, and political activities.
• Human settlements reflect the relationship between people and their environment.
• They are not just clusters of houses, but also include roads, markets, schools, hospitals, temples, mosques, offices, industries, transport hubs, etc.
• Geography studies settlements to understand:
  • Where people live.
  • Why they choose certain places.
  • How settlements grow, change, and function.

👉 Definition: Human settlement refers to the process of grouping of people and their dwellings, along with the associated infrastructure, to carry out their day-to-day activities.

2. Evolution of Settlements

Settlements have developed through a long historical process:

1. Prehistoric Settlements
   • Early humans were nomadic – moving from one place to another.
   • Settlements were temporary, located near caves, rivers, forests.
   • Lifestyle → hunting, fishing, food gathering.
2. Early Permanent Settlements (Neolithic Age)
   • Discovery of agriculture led to permanent settlements.
   • First villages appeared near fertile river valleys (Indus, Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Huang He).
3. Ancient Civilizations
   • Cities like Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa, Babylon, Athens, Rome emerged.
   • These became centres of trade, culture, and administration.
4. Medieval Settlements
   • Growth of fort towns, religious centres, and trading towns (e.g., Delhi, Varanasi, Agra).
   • Settlement growth linked with monarchy, feudalism, and religious institutions.
5. Modern Settlements
   • Industrial Revolution → rapid urban growth.
   • Cities became centres of industries, transport, commerce.
   • Present-day settlements range from small hamlets to megacities like Tokyo, New York, Mumbai.

3. Types of Human Settlements

Settlements can be classified in different ways:

(A) Based on Permanence

• Temporary Settlements → Nomadic groups, shifting cultivation, hunting–gathering.
• Permanent Settlements → People build permanent houses, engage in farming, industries, trade.

(B) Based on Size

• Hamlet → very small cluster of houses.
• Village → larger, mostly agricultural.
• Town → diversified activities (markets, services).
• City → large population, industries, trade, transport hubs.
• Metropolis → large urban centre (Delhi, Kolkata).
• Megalopolis / Megacity → massive, continuous urban region (Tokyo, New York, Mumbai).

(C) Based on Shape / Form (Rural Settlements)

1. Linear → houses along roads, canals, rivers (e.g., Ganga plain villages).
2. Rectangular → planned on rectangular grid (Punjab).
3. Circular → houses around a central feature like a pond or temple (Rajasthan villages).
4. Star-like → houses along roads radiating from a central point.
5. T-shaped, Y-shaped → at road junctions.
6. Clustered / Nucleated → closely packed houses (Indo-Gangetic plains).
7. Dispersed → scattered houses, often in tribal areas, hilly regions (Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh).

4. Rural Settlements

• Villages are the basic units of rural settlements.
• Around 65–70% of India’s population still lives in villages.

Features of Rural Settlements

• Primary activities (farming, fishing, forestry, mining).
• Close relationship with nature.
• Houses mostly made of locally available materials.
• Limited transport, communication, healthcare facilities.

Problems of Rural Settlements

• Poor infrastructure (roads, electricity).
• Lack of safe drinking water.
• Overcrowding in fertile plains.
• Poverty, unemployment, disguised unemployment.
• Poor sanitation and drainage.

Rural Settlement Patterns in India

1. Clustered / Nucleated Villages → dense group of houses, fertile plains of UP, Bihar, Punjab.
2. Semi-clustered Villages → houses not too close, Deccan plateau.
3. Hamleted Villages → village divided into small hamlets (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh).
4. Dispersed Villages → isolated houses, hilly/tribal areas of Himachal, Meghalaya, Nagaland.

5. Urban Settlements

Urban settlements are towns and cities.

Features of Urban Settlements

• Secondary and tertiary activities dominate.
• High population density.
• Advanced infrastructure: roads, flyovers, railways, airports, metros.
• Educational, medical, recreational facilities.
• Social and cultural diversity.

Classification of Indian Towns (Census of India)

• Town → minimum population 5,000, 75% male workers in non-farming, density > 400 persons/sq km.
• City → population > 1,00,000.
• Metropolitan City → population > 10 lakh.
• Mega City → population > 10 million.
• Conurbation → merging of cities and towns.
• Megalopolis → continuous urban belt (Delhi-Mathura-Agra).

Functions of Urban Settlements

• Administrative towns → Delhi, Washington DC.
• Industrial towns → Jamshedpur, Detroit.
• Transport towns → Mumbai, Singapore.
• Trade/Commercial towns → Kolkata, Osaka.
• Religious towns → Varanasi, Mecca.
• Tourist towns → Agra, Paris.

6. Hierarchy of Settlements

• Hamlet → Village → Town → City → Metropolis → Megacity → Megalopolis
• Settlement hierarchy shows how population size, functions, and services increase step by step.

7. Problems of Human Settlements

(A) Rural Problems

• Lack of infrastructure.
• Poor health & education.
• Unemployment, disguised labour.
• Seasonal migration to cities.

(B) Urban Problems

• Overcrowding, congestion.
• Slums and squatter settlements.
• Unemployment and underemployment.
• Pollution – air, water, land, noise.
• Traffic jams, inadequate public transport.
• Urban crime, social tensions.

8. Planning and Sustainable Settlements

Need for planning:

• Rapid urbanization → pressure on land, water, housing, transport.
• Rural backwardness → need for balanced development.

Sustainable Settlements should:

• Provide affordable housing.
• Ensure clean water, sanitation, waste management.
• Use renewable energy.
• Protect natural environment (green belts, parks).
• Promote eco-friendly transport (metro, EVs, cycling).

Schemes in India:

• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) – affordable housing.
• Smart Cities Mission – sustainable, modern cities.
• Rurban Mission – urban facilities in rural areas.
• AMRUT – urban water supply, sewerage.

9. Case Studies / Examples

• Chandigarh → planned city with grid system.
• Delhi NCR → classic example of metropolitan growth.
• Mumbai → industrial & commercial city, but faces overcrowding and slums.
• Jamshedpur → industrial town built by Tata Steel.
• Johannesburg (South Africa) → mining-based city.
• Varanasi → religious city with ancient settlement.

10. Human Settlements and Environment

• Settlements often degrade the environment → deforestation, pollution, land use change.
• Climate change, global warming directly affect settlements (floods, sea-level rise).
• Example: Coastal cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, New York, Jakarta face flood risks.

11. Key Terms

• Settlement → cluster of dwellings where people live.
• Hamlet → very small settlement.
• Urbanization → growth of towns/cities.
• Slum → overcrowded, poor housing in cities.
• Smart city → technology-driven, eco-friendly urban centre.
• Megalopolis → continuous urban belt.

12. Sample Exam Questions

Q1. (3 Marks) Define human settlement.
👉 Human settlement refers to a place where people live and organize their economic, social, cultural, and political activities. It includes both rural (villages) and urban (towns, cities) types.

Q2. (5 Marks) Distinguish between rural and urban settlements.
👉

• Rural: small size, agriculture-based, low infrastructure.
• Urban: large, industries and services, high infrastructure.
• Rural close to nature; urban artificial environment.
• Rural slow growth; urban rapid expansion.

Q3. (6 Marks) Explain the problems of urban settlements.
👉

• Overcrowding and congestion.
• Growth of slums.
• Pollution (air, water, land, noise).
• Traffic problems.
• Crime and unemployment.
• Environmental hazards.

13. FAQs

Q1. What is the difference between clustered and dispersed settlements?

• Clustered → houses close together, fertile plains.
• Dispersed → houses scattered, hilly/tribal areas.

Q2. Why are most villages in India clustered?

• Because of fertile land, water availability, need for community life.

Q3. What is a Megacity?

• A city with a population over 10 million (e.g., Mumbai, Tokyo).

Q4. Why is planning important in settlements?

• To ensure sustainable growth, prevent slums, reduce pollution, provide services.

Q5. Give examples of functional towns.

• Industrial: Jamshedpur.
• Religious: Varanasi.
• Administrative: Delhi.
• Tourist: Agra.